Our Staff

M.M Yale University, B.M. Peabody Conservatory. Christopher has performed extensively across North America and around the world. As a solo performer Christopher Laughlin has toured in 25 countries on five continents, presenting concerts in France in Portugal, Greece, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Austria, Yugoslavia, Romania, The Czech Republic, Ghana, […]

B.A. Music Technology and English, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Based in Chicago, Casey is the general manager for the Christopher Laughlin School of Music. Prior to joining Laughlin School, Casey taught private lessons in guitar, piano, bass, drums and ukulele at Bucktown Music while also working in corporate sales. He has performed with the […]

B.M., Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, M.M., Cleveland Institute of Music Weiwen Ma is a native of Shanghai, China. As a young child she was invited to perform numerous concerts at China’s most prestigious venues, notably Shanghai Concert Hall and Shanghai Great Grand Theater. After winning the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) concerto competition, she […]

M.M., Yale School of Music, B.M., Cleveland Institute of Music. Alexa has performed extensively in the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, and Lithuania, and is an active orchestral and chamber musician in the Chicago area. In recent seasons, she was the principal cellist of the Kalamazoo Symphony, and also appeared with the Grand […]

Larissa Mapua is a Filipino-American violin and viola teacher dedicated to sharing her passion for music. Selected by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, she performed Debussy’s String Quartet, Op.10 at the U.S. Capitol for members of the 114th U.S. Congress. She was also invited to perform for Fidel V. Ramos, the 12th […]

B.A., Loyola University, Chicago. Audie received his B.A. in music from Loyola University Chicago, where his emphasis was in vocal performance. He has sung both as a soloist and chorister in everything from classical to musical theatre. His piano expertise comes from years of technical instruction, along with personal exploration of chord-reading, improvisation, and arranging. He […]

B.M.E. Illinois Wesleyan University. Aaron is a Music Educator currently teaching Elementary Music in Elgin, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Music Education, concentrating in voice, from Illinois Wesleyan University, graduating in May, 2019. Aaron has been a very active music director for the past several years. He is currently the director of the Glenview […]

Gary “The Human Metronome” Zucker is a Summa Cum Laude graduate and scholarship recipient of Berklee College of Music and received his degree in Music Business/Management. He is a two-time Downbeat Award winner. Gary began playing drums at age four after seeing Ringo & His All-Starr Band in concert. He has been fortunate to play […]

D.M.A., M.M.A. and M.M., Yale University. B.A. University of Chicago.  Dr. Keith Murphy has taught piano at the Laughlin School since 2008 and previously taught piano and accompanied middle and high school students while on the faculty of the New England Music Camp. Trained as a composer, his music has been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, […]